Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud dies at 96

RIYADH: Saudi King Salman’s elder half-brother, the tenth son of the country’s founding monarch Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, has died at the age of 96, the Saudi Press Agency confirmed the news on late Sunday.

Prince Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was not an actively political royal within the ruling Al-Saud family. He was the eldest living son of the late King Abdulaziz Al Saud. Prince Bandar stepped aside from the line of succession, despite opposition to Sultan bin Abdulaziz’s appointment as second deputy prime minister by King Fahd in 1982. His only government service had been as the director general of the Interior Ministry.

Prince Bandar agreed to settle down and to step aside from the throne and as compensation, however, two of Bandar’s sons were given important jobs: Mansour bin Bandar was made the commander of Prince Abdullah Air Base at Jeddah and Faisal bin Bandar, the governor of Al-Qassim Province from 1992 to January 2015 when he was appointed governor of Riaydh. Bandar’s only official government position was as Director General of the Interior Ministry, besides his various business ventures including Tabuk Cement Co. and Riyadh Recreational Hotels Co.